Slander, gossip, pessimism, and other negativity that comes from our mouths-"tongue" needs to be controlled. Do you know anyone or even yourself speak "negative" at times or all the time? Well, I do it too, which I need to be held accountable and to get out of it. What we speak can sometimes be a "curse" (see sinful) to others or ourselves! I have countless stories where I've witness this.

Gossip: I notice this a lot living in this small rural-college town of Morris!

"A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends."-Proverbs 16:28

Slander: Ever talked "bad" about somebody and then try "pretend" being Minnesota "nice" to them? I hear this a lot from "non" Minnesotans. They tell me that some Minnesotans act very nice to you and then the opposite a day or so later. For example, I know college students from the inner city that come to this rural side of Minnesota. They get treated very "nice" around the college campus, but when they meet the same individual in a setting outside the campus, they get "ignored" as if being "ashamed" of knowing them. Ever done this before? Yes, I too have done this without knowing..forgive me.

" 5 Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
him will I put to silence; "-Psalm 101:5

This being a "good news" homepage, it wouldn't be fair if I don't put some "bad news". My reason for doing this is to encourage the Christians out there, why people need to hear the "good news" or...

I'll first say this isn't the "full answer" as I said "sometimes" (it could be "most" of the time too, but don't want to be too "negative") above. To protect my standing on this, I want to direct you to what God's word say...

" 6 "But if you [a] or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you [b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' 9 People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them�that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.' "-1 Kings 9

Biased in the Media

Have you ever presumed anything and had to "hit yourself" for it? The media sometimes can get this way when they report the news. I've heard this many times, "the news can get depressing", when they constantly report "bad news" (little girl getting kidnapped, a murder in some neighborhood, and some scandal with some "big time" celebrity). Some start to judge, gossip, and totally change the "news" around.

A Different Story

I played this game (Chinese Whispers) at my local church's family camp one summer where the guest speaker whispered a phrase to one side of aisle and another to the opposite side of the aisle. Then we had to whisper it to our neighbor till the last person in the back of each section of the aisle was reached. The last person of each section came up to the front and shared it out loud. One had almost the similar phrase as the original one, but the other was totally different or way off!

This is an example of how we can easily misinterpret (misunderstand) the "news" as it spreads from one source to another. Why does this happen? Maybe because we selfishly choose what we want to hear and change it to our own desire choice of words. For example, here is another game I played at one of UMM's cultural workshops. The speaker had us do this game where he would say a word, and had several people share what came up to their mind. Let's say I said "ice cream"; one person might describe his thoughts of a pepperiment patty flavor on an ice cram cone, another would picture an "Eddy's Ice Cream" container, etc...
You see, we are all unique individuals with different experiences with different perspectives on things. The one that mentioned pepperiment patty probably grew up liking this particular flavor. The other pictured "Eddys" after having it recently.

The media reports the news the way they want based on what the viewers want. I went to a speaker, at UMM also, who reported for one of the nations leading broadcasting networks. He admittedly shared that their network reports "bad news" because that's what get the most attention. What gets the most attention gets the most sponsors from big-time corporations to a buy a "spot" (commerical), which gets the network more "mulah"! Thats the way the media corporate world runs!

*update (Monday, December 5th 20110

The "devil" is good at adding lies to the "Truth", so whenever we hear "news". Before we jump into conclusions on what we think we hear. I challenge you to go straight to the source. For example, many people misunderstand the Bible and they automatically "judge" it. Instead of going with what you hear from others, go to the "Source" (God)!

Chinese Whispers

"Bunch of mates havin a game of chinese whispers in school
"

Inaccurate Reporting

I heard this from somebody...

"Don't presume anything until you know the facts"

It's like the judicial system or what it supposes to be, "you are innocent until you are proven guilty", which is why I don't like to jump the "bandwagon" on targeting people caught in the "limelight" with these scandals (e.g. Michael Jackson accussed of molesting children). If it's true, pray for them instead of "pointing your fingers" at them!

*Reason for this Website*

My reason for writing this is because I've been longing to share what I've been witnessing so far on how "certain" mainstream media has been "playing with viewers minds" with their-at times-"inacurrate", "negative", "biased", "one-sided", etc..reporting! I do appreciate some of the media at times on reporting "good news", especially during the holidays, and undercover reporting that the general pouplation would never know.

I also decided to write the "above" this evening-Saturday, February 14th-after watching Disney's "Beauty & the Beast" (similar reviews)-yes! I havent' watched this for a long time, but I was able to see a new moral story besides the obvious one (it's inner beauty that more important) after watching it a "second-time". It was the scene where Gaston, the "bad guy", goes "overboard" with the town folks after seeing the "monster" in the mirror (reveals what every you want it to). His persuasiveness speech on getting a group to go over and kill this "beast" symbolizes how the "media" can do this to the general audience.

Pointing to the Wrong Enemies

Remember the infamous unfortunate "Oklahoma Bombing" in 1995? Well, some of the media (e.g. one reporter) innacurately accussed Muslims for this devestation. They probably fumbled with their reporting from innacurate resources too or investigators probably may have gave this accusation too. Anyways, I remember a story where the airport security stopped a "Muslim" from leaving by plane until he was "checked" in Oklahoma after the sad incident. I don't know the time frame, but later on they would change that accusation to Timothy McVeigh-an American!

There are many other similar incidents, like...

9/11: Targeting Muslims an Asian Indian wearing a turban was murdered pumping gas somewhere in Arizona after 9-11 being "falsely" accussed as the enemy (Muslims). In fact, none of the accussed terrorist was an Asian Indian!9/11: Gas Masks: After 9/11, the nation was watching the "boob tube" (news) constantly 24/7 for any current related terrorist news. I remember some federal agency reccomended the general population to buy "protective bioterrorism" gear, like gas mask in case of a biological attack. I was watching the news, and I saw people on t.v. "running" to the local hardware stores (N.Y. especiallY) buying gas maks and duc tape-to seal open cracks in their houses from gas coming inside their homes. I'll stop here as this story pretty much explains itself...Israel/Palestinian conflict: This has been an on-going global issue as far as I can remember. As a growing up. As a Christian, Jesus did say-"love your neighbor" (Matthew 22:37-39 read what else He says!) and "love your enemies"! We can easily jump to conclusions and take one side; however, what do you think is the side God (Jesus) is for? He loves all of us, right? Then, if you are a believer and a follower, what side should we take?

Lesson to be learned

What can we learn from here? Well, we are only humans! Yes, but with God we can ask Him for wisdom and discernment before jumping into conclusions-espeically when it comes to "hurry-up get an answer" situations. To learn more on this, one must come to know who Created our minds and whole human body structure. From here, we will grown to trust in Jesus when you make Him more and more the Lord (depend) of your life! Then in Spirit, we can lessen the easily human mistakes of false judgment. I'm still learning myself as I don't want to make the many countless accusations in the past and still on-going becuase it affects the people around you (low or high extreme); just like that story above on the Asian Indian who lost his life after 9/11!

" The Waters of Marah and Elim
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah. [e] ) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"...

Manna and Quail

"
1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." ...

5 Minutes Bible Study - Attitude Is Everything

"Negative attitudes are contagious, debilitating, and sinful. But they can be broken. The answer isn't simply saying, "There are lots of people worse off than I, like the one who said, 'I complained because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet,'" but redirecting your focus, concentrating on that which is positive.

There is an optimism born of faith which comes because God is sovereign, and no matter how dismal or drear the circumstances, God's children refuse to accept them as final, knowing the finger of God has already written the last chapter of history.You find that in Revelation 21 and 22, and we who are His children win. We win BIG, too! For when the books are opened, we receive the reward due to us, the one ignored by the world and minimized by friends and acquaintances.
Attitude is everything! It can be bright and cheerful regardless of your landscape, your digestion, your health, or your circumstances. Yes, there are times when we feel less than jubilant and joyful, yet we can focus on the nature and character of the Almighty who has abundantly blessed us. As Jeremiah wrote, "Because of the LORD'S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentation 3:22-23). "

-Children
*lesson for Sunday school at my local church this morning (Sunday, October 10th 2010)

" 14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me."-Philippians 2

Action Follow-Up

Please pray for our media!

Bad News in the Media

"24"All the nations will say, '(Z)Why has the LORD done thus to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?'
25"Then men will say, '(AA)Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
26'They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they have not known and whom He had not allotted to them.
27'Therefore, the anger of the LORD burned against that land, (AB)to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book; -Deuteronomy 29

"Positive is in, there is just a lack of it," speaker and actress Tina Marie told more than 150 Morris Area High School students during a presentation on Thursday morning sponsored by West Central Youth for Christ.
Calling herself a "truth catalyst," Tina
Marie encouraged students to think about media messages in music and television and to become proactive in attempting to make change.
West Central Youth for Christ has a high school presence in Willmar, Redwood Falls, and Springfield, among other places in the region. Tina Marie's visit was another step toward forming Youth for Christ chapters in both Morris and Benson.
Bart Graves, former MAHS counselor, is the volunteer coordinator of both new chapters of the organization.
"Youth for Christ is not church, and doesn't seek to replace church groups," Graves said, "but it is a way to bring small groups of students from different churches together in an organization that promotes Christ. It helps foster faith that makes a difference."
Graves also said Youth for Christ helps fill a gap for students between technology, pop culture, and the traditional ministry of some churches.
"Ministering to a new generation is challenging -- they are high-tech and can have short attention spans," Graves explained. "YFC can help find ways to reach kids when traditional methods are not as useful as they used to be."
Tina Marie's visit to MAHS is part of a long-time relationship between WCYFC, area schools and youth groups. Each fall, West Central Youth for Christ brings a speaker to high schools to promote a "positive life message," said WCYFC Director Bob Pope.
Arguing media like television and magazines do not want young people to see the way celebrities act in real life because then student consumers would not purchase celebrity products, Tina Marie relied on her nine years working in Hollywood to provide insight on the truth of celebrity behavior the media keeps from young people.
In one example of the truth behind the media message, Tina Marie criticized rapper Usher for promoting premarital sex in his song lyrics, while at the same time promoting virginity in a January 2005 interview in "YM" magazine. Marie argued this disconnect between what young people get from music and television and what celebrities actually believe perpetuates harmful behaviors among youth.
"Media doesn't like to show the consequences of actions," Marie said.
Speakers like Tina Marie are not the only activities Youth for Christ sponsors, but what the organization brings to Morris will depend on what area youth are interested in. The Morris chapter of Youth for Christ is still in the early fundraising stages, Graves explained, but said there is support from area leaders and a group of MAHS athletic coaches for the program.
Along with youth to drive the program, Graves said YFC also needs adults from a variety of churches and organizations to serve on a board that helps arrange finances, direction, and events for the local chapter.
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Issues: "Low" Self-Esteem, -Image, -"ish", etc...

By John Myers
Duluth News Tribune
'ALONG HOG CREEK � Nearly three years to the day when people noticed Nathan Williams was missing, his parents and police still are trying to find someone -- anyone -- who might know where he is.
Williams left the University of Minnesota, Morris on Sept. 28, 2004, telling his college roommates he was going up north to go fishing.
Days later, the 21-year-old�s truck was found by this remote stream in Lake County near Kawishiwi Lake, apparently stuck along a forest road on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Virtually nothing is known of Williams� whereabouts.
�It�s as if he was here one day and then dropped off the face of the Earth,� said Jim Beauregard, the Morris Police Chief who has helped keep the missing person investigation active.
Williams� parents and roommates reported him missing about a week after he left, when the fishing trip seemed to be lasting longer than usual and he made no effort to call.
When Morris police released an all-points bulletin, Lake County responded they already had found the vehicle, but no person to go with it.
A massive, multi-agency land, water and air search turned up no trace of Williams in a nearly six-mile radius from the truck. Tracking dogs trained to sniff out bodies found no trace. Underwater cameras were dangled from canoes to no avail. Another search was conducted in the spring of 2005, and still nothing was found.
Two psychics, who were asked to help, failed to develop any leads.
Now, authorities are turning to the public in one last effort to crack the case.
�We�ve about exhausted any possibilities. That�s why we�re asking for anyone to think back and see if they might remember anything that might help,� Beauregard said.
Back at the site
Last week, Dave Williams, Nathan�s father, returned to the site where he and his wife, Sandra, waited for days in 2004 for word on their son. Amber aspen leaves were falling into the creek, just as they were three years ago.
�He sure picked a beautiful place to disappear,� Dave Williams said, walking at the exact site where his son�s vintage 1966 Ford pickup was found. �This is the last place we know for sure that he was alive. � This is a terrible place, but it�s also the last connection I have to my son.�
Nathan Williams was the kind of kid who would take off on a whim and disappear for days, mostly to fish or knock around in the woods. He even told friends he dreamed of living off the land, disappearing into the wilds and living by his own means, like a special forces soldier.
But three years later, both Williams� parents and authorities say they�ve mostly given up hope that Nathan simply is living as a hermit or hiding somewhere. They concede he probably is dead, but they would like to know exactly where and how.
They want closure.
�We have to assume he�s not alive,� Dave Williams said. �We had a great relationship with our son and there�s no reason to believe he ran off somewhere. He�s a great kid. An unusual kid. An amazing kid.�
Loved to fish
The Williamses live in Silver Springs, Md., although Nathan spent time as a child in the Bolivian Amazon, Colombia, Mexico and New York.
But when people asked him where he was from, he invented a home state: Minnesota.
�That�s why he went to college here. He adopted it as his home state because it was up north and had the 10,000 lakes and forests and the world�s largest freshwater lake,� Dave Williams said.
Nathan Williams picked UMM because it was known for chemistry, his major, and because it was known as being a school friendly to helping students with dyslexia, which affected his ability to read. He played cello in the school orchestra.
Nathan�s nickname in high school was �Fish� because he loved to be on the water so much. He hoped to land a job in wildlife management, or maybe as a game warden, after graduation.
There was no sign he was suicidal. There was no sign of trouble in school. And no sign of criminal activity or foul play, Beauregard said. The college senior�s photo and Social Security number have been sent across the country and around the world. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have helped.
�There�s no sign of his name or Social Security number coming up anywhere since he went missing. There�s no credit card involved to trace. � He didn�t have much cash,� Beauregard said. �We�ve done all the investigating we can for now. We�re just hoping someone saw something. Anything.�
One last plea
Dave Williams came back to northern Minnesota to help drum up public awareness of his missing son � and to see whether anyone might step forward.
All Nathan Williams is known to have had with him when he left on his trip are two fishing rods and a single shot Harington & Richardson 12-gauge shotgun � in case he saw a grouse. He didn�t even have a sleeping bag � just a blue down comforter from his bed. There�s no sign he stopped anywhere to buy any additional camping or fishing gear.
But if he fell into a lake or became lost and then perished, where are the fishing rods? Where is the gun or the comforter?
�We don�t know if he might have tried to walk out on the road, or walk into the woods to fish at (a nearby lake) or if he got a ride after he was stuck,� Dave Williams said. After all the searches that they conducted, it makes them think he�s not where his truck was found, he said.
Williams praised the efforts of law enforcement officers and volunteers who have helped in the search.
Lake County Sheriff Carey Johnson thinks someone who knows the forest roads northeast of Finland may have seen something that first week three years ago � maybe a moose hunter or leaf watcher, maybe a logger or a fisherman.
�It�s like a needle in a haystack trying to find anyone in the woods up there,� Johnson said, noting there are two other unsolved missing-person cases in his county, including one that dates back more than 25 years.�
Dave Williams joined in the plea. Nathan was the couple�s only son.
�I�m not sure there�s anything worse than losing a child like this, not knowing,� Williams said."

"A small slice of WCCO-TV Channel 4 news from 1987 with Pat Miles discussing the fact that thin ice is dangerous; Mike Fairbourne (who by this time had already been with WCCO for 10 years) then reassures her that he's going to use his powers as a meteorologist to lower the temperature. The side of Don Shelby's head looks on intently at Mike's proclamation of miraculous weather abilities.
Before all that... commercials for Solid Gold and Jeopardy! "

"TWIN CITIES — A deadly tornado descended upon the Twin Cities on May 22, the same day Joplin, Missouri, crumbled from winds exceeding 200 miles per hour. Killer tornadoes in Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas quickly followed.
Our response to “bad news” has been on singer/songwriter Brandon Heath’s heart for the last few years. Heath and country songwriter Lee Thomas Miller identified themes in the 24/7 news cycle. The result is the title song “Leaving Eden” from his latest album.
"A lot of us really are afraid of the news,” Heath said during a recent telephone interview. “Fear is one of the things the Bible talks about a lot. In fact, I’ve heard that nothing is more repeated in the Bible than ‘do not fear’ because I think God knows how we respond to fear.”
Heath explained that community church response to disaster is crucial.
"I’m always proud of how churches mobilize around towns when things happen,” he said. “That seems to be when churches spring in action. This is the perfect time for a church to say, ‘We solely exist to serve and love those people in this town and to exalt God.’”
Casting Crowns also emphasizes the importance of the local church. Aspiring artists often ask lead singer Mark Hall how to obtain the next level.
"I always tell ’em, ‘there is the church, and there is the next level,’” he said from Nashville, just before the worship band received the 2010 Dove Award for Artist of the Year. “Your gifts and your talents belong in the church, pouring into the body. Not just using the church as a stage, but understanding that you are placed there to bloom where you are planted; pouring into the younger people and teaching your ministry to people who are younger than you, so that when you leave, there are people to keep (the ministry) going.
"Maybe your song needs to be on the radio, maybe it needs to be there on a larger scale and that’s all fine, but that’s not the next level. When that all goes away, and it will, the church is still here. So it’s not something you need to leave and come back to; you need to realize that the body of Christ is the point.”
Brandon Heath and Casting Crowns will appear June 11 at the KTIS 98.5 FM Joyful Noise Family Festival at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Also scheduled: Australian and former Newsboy Peter Furler; Go Fish; Mike’s Chair; Shawn McDonald; Lindsay McCaul; and Me in Motion. The Minneapolis rockers known as Hyland will no doubt play selections from their debut Tooth & Nails Records album “Weights & Measures."

racism...
"5 People Are Shot to Death, and a Lawyer Is Arrested" New York Times April 29, 2000 By KATHERINE E. FINKELSTEIN An immigration lawyer went on a shooting spree on the outskirts of Pittsburgh yesterday afternoon, killing five people, including a Jewish woman, two Asian men, one Indian and one black man and critically injuring a sixth, police officials said.

"For the second time in just over a week, Fox News is coming under fire for misusing old news footage. The latest flap is leading some people to charge that the cable news network is intentionally misleading its audience, while Fox claims a "production error."
Wednesday's incident occurred when Fox News host Gregg Jarrett mentioned that a Sarah Palin appearance and book signing in Grand Rapids, Michigan had a massive turnout. As footage rolled of a smiling and waving Palin amidst a throng of fans, Jarrett noted that the former Republican vice-presidential candidate is "continuing to draw huge crowds while she's promoting her brand-new book,'' adding that the images being shown were "some of the pictures just coming in to us.... The lines earlier had formed this morning."
However, the video used in the segment was from a 2008 McCain/Palin campaign rally. In response to the minor uproar that arose after clips of Jarrett's report hit the Internet, Fox senior vice-president of news Michael Clemente issued an initial statement saying, "This was a production error in which the copy editor changed a script and didn't alert the control room to update the video."
On Thursday afternoon, Fox News issued an on-air apology delivered by host Jane Skinner:
Yesterday we told you about Sarah Palin kicking off her book tour and then we spoke to Sean Hannity about an interview that he did with former Governor Palin. When introducing the segment we showed you footage of people lining up in Michigan for a book signing that evening. In the tease before the segment, the tease to commercial, we told you how those people were already lining up to meet Palin. The problem is we didn't show you the video we were actually referencing. Instead we mistakenly aired what's called "file tape" of Sarah Palin. We didn't mean to mislead anybody in that tease. It was a mistake, and for that we apologize.
The current mishap comes on the heels of a controversy sparked last week when footage from a conservative rally held over the summer was played on "Hannity" during a segment on a more recent rally. During the clip, host Sean Hannity marveled over the large turnout for a Washington, DC protest. The Daily Show later pointed out that there seemed to be some inconsistencies with the video shown on Hannity's show, namely that the atmospheric conditions seemed to vary from shot to shot. Hannity later apologized on the air for what he called "an inadvertent mistake."
Barely a week into Palin’s blitz to promote “Going Rogue,” media coverage is becoming its own story. Fox News rival MSNBC caught heat last week for using altered images of Sarah Palin on the air, for which they later apologized. On Wednesday, Yahoo! News reported Newsweek’s defense of their latest controversial cover, which Palin herself blasted as “sexist.”
-- Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog "

"...Freedom of Information and Getting the Truth Out
It is not easy for journalists to access this type of information, and they often have to wait weeks, months or even years for information from the CDC and the FDA -- information that is readily available and supposed to be clearly public.
Attkisson expands on the difficulties she faced in trying to get simple data regarding swine flu cases in the United States:
"They [CDC’s public affairs] quit communicating with me when I pressed on why I couldn’t get certain information. They just wouldn’t answer my emails anymore. So I had to file a Freedom of Information request, which is usually my last choice because I know I was going into a deep black hole many times and I’ll never get an answer.
But in this case, I got an interesting response on October 19 from the CDC when I had asked for some simple, public documents that would have been easy for them to obtain too quickly.
Journalists are allowed to ask for expedited processing of their Freedom of Information request because, for obvious reasons, they’re working on a story that may have public impact or be of public interest. The agencies are not supposed to use the Freedom of Information Law to obstruct or delay the release of this information.
This may be the first time I was denied that expedited processing from Freedom of Information that we’re entitled to as members of the press; a letter from HHS or Health and Human Services (the CDC is under HHS) said to me that one of the reasons they’re denying my expedited processing is because this is not a matter of “widespread and exceptional media or public interest."
In other words, the CDC doesn’t think these questions about swine flu prevalence and these other things that we’ve been asking are, at least in their opinion in this letter, not a matter of widespread and exceptional media or public interest.”
Yet, while the CDC expressed that questions about swine flu prevalence were not a matter of widespread media or public interest, the President had declared the swine flu a national public health emergency!
The inconsistencies at the CDC are nearly incomprehensible.
...
The Ramifications of the Swine Flu Policy
According to Attkisson’s CBS News study, when you come down with chills, fever, cough, runny nose, malaise and all those other "flu-like" symptoms, the illness is likely caused by influenza at most 17 percent of the time and as little as 3 percent! The other 83 to 97 percent of the time it's caused by other viruses or bacteria.
So remember that not every illness that appears to be the flu actually is the flu. In fact, most of the time it's not.
Curiously, the CDC still advises those who were told they had 2009 H1N1 (and therefore should be immune to getting it again) to get vaccinated unless they had lab confirmation.
But because very few people have actually had a lab-confirmed case of H1N1 (and in most cases those people told they had swine flu probably did not), this means nearly everyone is still being advised to get the swine flu vaccine.
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Science: Biology, Animals, Biological Warfare, etc...

Police Try to Solve Mystery of the Pilfered Poodle
By David Snyder
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 16, 2004; Page B01"Danaj Edmond and Beth Andraise Scott were driving home from the 9:30 club in a van when Edmond spotted Storm shivering in the median. They picked him up, afraid he would die in the cold, and drove him home. The next day, when Edmond showed up late to work at NBC News in Washington, where she is a desk assistant, she explained why: She had found a poodle the night before and had to buy food for him."

"..is a non-profit educational corporation that was founded in 1978 by internationally known public health authority, Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz, to educate people around the world on matters of extreme public importance. For more than a quarter century, our growing list of offerings have endorsed taking personal responsibility for health choices, achieving optimal wellness, assuring disease prevention through positive lifestyles and risk avoidance, and keeping abreast of controversial social, economic, environmental, and political issues that pose myriad threats during this fascinating and challenging age...

"..The apostle Peter understood the dangers of unfounded criticism. He wrote, Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God (1 Peter 2:12)..."

"..
One of the most common examples of mind control in our so-called free and civilized society is the advent and usage of the television set. This isn't to say that all things on TV are geared towards brainwashing you. They're not. But most of the programming on television today is run and programming by the largest media corporations that have interests in defense contracts, such as Westinghouse (CBS), and General Electric (NBC). This makes perfect sense when you see how slanted and warped the news is today. Examining the conflicts of interest is merely glancing at the issue, although to understand the multiple ways that lies become truth, we need to examine the techniques of brain washing that the networks are employing....

"BBC Television's live production of George Orwell's "1984". Produced in 1954. Creative Commons license: Public Domain...
The novel's title, its terms, its language (Newspeak), and its author's surname are bywords for personal privacy lost to national state security. The adjective "Orwellian" denotes many things. It can refer to totalitarian action or organization, as well as governmental attempts to control or misuse information for the purposes of controlling, pacifying or even subjugating the population. "Orwellian" can also refer generally to twisted language which says the opposite of what it truly means, or specifically governmental .."1984 George Orwell Movie Trailer (1984), from youtube.com

12/27/2004: GFA Responds to Deadly Tsunami (donate info)"As of this morning, reports were still coming in from GFA offices across Asia.
In the Andaman Islands a reported 6,000 people have been killed. In another miracle, however, all 26 GFA missionaries serving on the low-lying island chain are reported safe.
"We thank God for these miracles," Brother K.P. said, "and pray that He will use these believers to share His love and compassion with the millions who are suffering so terribly

"Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of the Island of Sumatra, was the closest to the epicenter of the earthquake.
Experts say giant waves, 50 feet high, slammed into the coastline wiping out entire villages and towns. The death toll there could reach a staggering 80,000..

Scientists Fear Global Bird Flu Outbreak
With luck, the world will escape the latest outbreak of bird flu with no more than the six human deaths already blamed on it and the loss of millions of chickens. But public health experts worry of a much greater disaster: A catastrophe they say is among the worst imaginable, a global outbreak of an entirely new form of human flu.
( DANIEL Q. HANEY, Associated Press, 01/24/2004 01:00 PM EST)

Related Movies:

The Stand end time movie with "super-flu" made by U.S. govt. wipes majority of population by Stephen King

-"3 blacks killed in possible S.Africa race attack"
January 12, 2000 Web posted at: 11:57 AM EST (1657 GMT) JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) -- A white gunman shot dead three black people on a bus in Pretoria on Wednesday in what police say may have been a racially motivated attack.
Action: love one another getting to know each other

A little boy is telling his Grandma how "everything" is going wrong: school, family problems, severe
health problems, etc.

Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which, of
course, he does. "Here, have some cooking oil." "Yuck" says the boy. "How about a couple raw
eggs? " "Gross, Grandma!" "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Grandma,
those are all yucky!" His Grandma replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But
when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the
same way. Many times we wonder why he would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But
God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have
to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!"

God is Crazy About You. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet,
your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever
you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

What Can I do....

Lost everything...."19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."-Matthew 6
-finances?

Why bad things happen?

I've heard this so many times, so I decided to share my own perspective and others (down below). I had this conversation recently with a brother in Christ (Eric B.) of mine; last night (Thursday, May 17th of 2007) during a drive to Alexandria, Minnesota. Eric shared about a verse I kind of forgot of a blind man that people were questioning Jesus...

"Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work (e.g. healing) of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9Some claimed that he was.
Others said, "No, he only looks like him."
But he himself insisted, "I am the man."
10"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.
11He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."" -John 9 (Gospels in New Testament)

5 Minutes Bible Study - When Life Goes Bad

"Our Daily Bread
David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. —1 Samuel 30:6
Everything looked bleak to David and his men when they arrived at Ziklag (1 Sam. 30:1-6). The Amalekites had attacked the city and taken their wives and children captive. The men were so discouraged that they wept until they had no more energy. And David, their leader, was "greatly distressed" because the people were contemplating stoning him (v.6).
In the end, David's army rescued their families and defeated the Amalekites. But the story takes a great turn even before that when "David strengthened himself in the Lord his God" (v.6). Other translations use the words encouraged or refreshed.
The text doesn't say exactly how David did this. But it makes me wonder, In what ways can we strengthen, encourage, or refresh ourselves in the Lord when we're feeling discouraged?
First, we can remember what God has done. We can list the ways He has cared for us in the past, and how He has provided for us or answered a prayer request.
Second, we can remember what God has promised. "Be strong and of good courage; . . . for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh. 1:9).
Like David, let's learn to strengthen ourselves in the Lord, and then let's leave the rest with Him. — Anne Cetas
"I will strengthen," so take courage,
Child of God, so weak and frail.
God has said so, and it must be,
For His promise cannot fail! —Anon.

Our greatest strength is often shown in our ability to stand still and trust God. "

"For some of us the unfairness of life is so galling that we can barely hide our bitterness, which often exudes onto others. Our deepest resentment and blame may be secretly directed at God. Perhaps because we fear the wrath, disapproval, or abandonment of God, we hide these dark unwanted feelings even from ourselves. We unconsciously curse God in the darkness of our interior being, believing that as long as we don't know that these feelings exist, then we are not held responsible for them.
But Job's wife was right. At the height of Job's misery, when God gave Satan the freedom not only to take all that he loved and possessed but also to afflict his body with putrefying sores, Job's wife told him to curse God and die. Although her motivations were ambiguous and may have been less than honorable, her disturbing exhortation holds an important and often overlooked truth. Sometimes, we need to take the risk of cursing God and dying."

"Have you ever asked God, "Why is this happening to me?" Find answers to the hardships of life in this collection of twenty-one biblical reasons for human trials. Perhaps God is expanding your perspective of Him. . .or preparing you for greater blessing. . .or enhancing your evangelistic outreach. . .or calling you to increased prayer."